When The Ninken Are Away
by thekatthatbarks
Summary: Kakashi's ninken have been acting strange lately and not showing up when he summons them while he's in the village. They tell him there's nothing to worry about and apparently Sakura has something to do with it all.


"This is the fifth time you guys have done this!" Kakashi scolded as he glared at his ninken pack. If his voice was a little loud, you couldn't blame him. He was _frustrated_ and felt like he wasn't being let in on something. The pack had never excluded him from something and now that they _obviously_ were, he wasn't sure how to deal with it. _What was something that they couldn't even tell him?_

He'd summoned them so he could give them the new vests he'd had made since theirs were becoming worn. But just like the last few times he'd tried to summon them while in the village, they didn't come. When they finally _did_ come – for _dinner_ – Kakashi was beyond annoyed at them. Every time they failed to show up, he got worried. So, when it turned out they were fine, he got _annoyed_. They looked slightly guilty, but not as much as he thought they should.

"Look, Boss," Pakkun spoke up from atop Bull's head, "don't worry about it."

Biscuit put his paws up on Kakashi's legs. "Yeah, Boss. Don't worry about it."

Kakashi sighed as they all looked at him with pleading looks. "I don't understand. Why can't you just tell me where you all keep running off to?"

Shiba answered vaguely, "It'll go back to normal soon, Boss."

Kakashi rolled his eyes and mumbled, "That's not an answer." Then, turned back to his couch where he had their vests laid out. He was too tired to argue anyways. "Whatever. Just line up so I can trade these out with the old ones."

***  
Kakashi had been sparring with Sakura, when he noticed it. It was barely there, faint, but with his keen sense of smell he could smell it. They had been practicing taijutsu with no chakra – thankfully, otherwise Sakura would obliterate him – and he didn't pause as he asked her, "Sakura, why do you smell like my ninken?"

He couldn't tell if it was a blush or if her skin was just flushed from their fight, but her cheeks were a deep pink. Her attack faltered as she replied, "I don't know what you're talking about."

"Sakura. I can _smell_ them on you," Kakashi argued. Now, that he had some hint of what was going on, he wasn't going to let it go.

Her next hit was harder than the others. She continued to deny it, "I don't know!"

She was flustered, he could tell. She was distracted and her attacks weren't as fast as before. When he sent a kick to her stomach, she didn't react in time like she usually would to block it and flew backwards. Kakashi took the opportunity to straddle her and pin her hands to the ground above her head. She struggled and glared at him. "Kakashi, _let me go_."

"Not until you tell me what's going on." Kakashi shook his head. Sakura was his friend, why wouldn't she tell him if something was wrong with his ninken? She adored them just as much as he did. "Why have they been avoiding me? What's wrong with them?"

Sakura huffed and stopped struggling, turning her head to the side. "They're not avoiding you, Kakashi. Nothing's _wrong_."

Kakashi looked down at her confused. "Then, what's going on?"

When her only response was to bite the inside of her cheek in silence, he pressed, "Sakura."

She glanced at him only to look away from him again and yes, that was definitely a blush on her cheeks. A part of his mind noted how adorable she looked flustered. He tried to ignore it. She told him nonchalantly, "They've just been…spending some time with me lately."

Kakashi raised an eyebrow at that. "So, much that they ignore me summoning them? Sakura, come on, I know there's more than that going on. You can't even look me in the eye."

Sakura sighed angrily and finally turned her head back to him. She glared up at him. "Fine! They've been hounding me to ask you out, Kakashi! _There_. Now, can you _let me go_?"

Kakashi did and leaned away from her, but stayed straddling her hips. He could feel his heart beating in his chest as he watched her get redder and redder. "What – why would they…?"

Sakura crossed her arms over her chest and looked away from him. She grumbled, "They noticed…noticed I had a crush on you. I don't know _how_ and they won't tell me, but they did."

Kakashi couldn't stop the laughter that escaped him and Sakura's head whipped back to glare at him. "Are you _laughing_ at me?"

Before he could respond and save himself from her wrath, she had switched their positions and had him pinned to the ground. The added pressure she had on his wrists was anything but pleasant. "Hatake, I _swear_ if you're making fun of me – "

Kakashi cut her off with a smile, holding back a chuckle. "Sakura, I'm not. I'm just _relieved_."

Her anger slowly faded and he could feel her relax her grip on him. "Oh." She pulled away from him and avoided his eyes.

Kakashi felt a warmth in his chest as she sat on him, blushing and obviously having no idea what to do next. He told her softly, "Sakura, I would never make fun of you."

She didn't say anything in response and Kakashi wondered if she really was that embarrassed about him finding out she had a crush on him. She wouldn't even look at him, the red in her cheeks still flaming. He didn't see anything wrong with it, though. He actually saw a lot of things _right_ with it.

Kakashi slowly sat up, making her fall to his lap. He pulled his mask down and spoke again, "Sakura." When she turned to look at him, he watched her eyes go wide but didn't give her enough time to react before kissing her. She kissed him back, her arms coming up to lock around his neck. The kiss was sweet and everything he'd imagine it to be. It just felt _right_.

When she pulled away for air, he told her with a smile, "You know, you could have just asked me out."

She looked down at his chest and mumbled, "I didn't think you would feel the same no matter how much Pakkun told me you did."

Kakashi would have to thank the pack later while also finding a way to scold them for interfering in his love life. They were still the best wingmen he had. He chuckled and pinched Sakura's chin, gently making her meet his eyes. "Well, I _do_ if you haven't realized that by now. So…you can go ahead."

Sakura laughed and rolled her eyes. "Fine. Kakashi, would you like to have dinner some time?"

"I'd love to." He grinned before kissing her again. Her smile against his lips had to be the best thing he'd ever felt.

***  
Telling the ninken a few days later ended up being a mistake. Their teasing was endless.


End file.
